King bill would discourage sexual solicitation of minors on Internet

Sexual predators will travel a long way to meet children they’ve stalked on the Internet, said Taylor County Sheriff Ricky Bishop.

But a proposed bill that Rep. Susan King, R-Abilene, is working to push through the Texas Legislature aims to discourage that.

HB 1011 would impose a minimum sentence of five years in prison for those convicted of traveling to have sex with a minor they met online, Bishop said.

“People are traveling from all over the state — the Dallas/ Fort Worth area, San Angelo, Midland — they’re driving to Abilene with the intent to have sex with a 13-year-old girl,” Bishop said. “The guys who are doing this are bad guys. We need to put these guys away to protect children.”

The proposed bill passed through a House committee on a 7-0 vote and is now up for a general vote in the House.

Last week, Bishop and three other members of the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office went to Austin to give testimony to the Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence. Sgt. Craig Griffis testified for the proposed bill.

Under current law, online solicitation of a minor is already of a third-degree felony if the victim is older than 14, or a second-degree felony if the victim is younger than 14.

In Texas, a second-degree felony is punishable by two to 20 years in prison and a fine not to exceed $10,000. A third-degree felony is punishable by two to 10 years in prison, and the fine limit is the same.

King’s bill would see to it that those convicted of online solicitation of a minor also would register as a sex offender once released.

Since the beginning of 2012, the sheriff’s office has charged 18 people with online solicitation of a minor. Four of those occurred in April of this year, Bishop said.